Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum
Main => Project Announcements => Topic started by: Ghoward on June 09, 2003, 11:09:27 am
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Hi there,
Just thought I would share my cab with the world, with is based on the ultimate arcade machine. So far this bad boy has been under construction for a month. It is built out of Birch plywood with pine trim on the edges rather than using t-molding, I thought it would look nicer with the wood and all.
I have installed a six speaker surround sound system into it and am now waiting on parts coin door cooling fans etc..... I also have a slide out keyboard which with all the angles on the cabinet took me sometime to get right; thank god for the table saw I couldn
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Looking really good! Keep us updated. :D
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VERY nice cabinet..keep us updated..the thing looks very professional ! :)
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Looks great. Did you consider a less noticible handle for the keyboard drawer? Not ripping on it, maybe you want people to know its there. You could have a finger edge or a small finger hole; but then you might forget its there as well.
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Did you consider a less noticeable handle for the keyboard drawer?
Yes I did at one point I was going to install a mailbox lock to make it look a bit more like an arcade machine however it would have been a real pain to keep having to unlock it every time I wanted to use the keyboard.
The cabinet mine is based on has the same type of handle and it is made of wood to match the rest of it anyway.
I do want this cabinet to be like a real arcade machine to a point; however I didn't want something out of an arcade, more like a fine piece of furniture is what this project is about.
One thing I read alot and have now found out myself is that is costs so much to build one of those things you might as well make it the very best you can. My so called budget is already out of the window, but who cares as long as it looks good and the game is on!
Gary
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Allright.
I'm not sure if I read correctly.... but it sounds like you're not painting it? Are you using a wood stain instead? That wood look nice (sic would).
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Yes wood stain it is with this cab, It should look real nice when its done. I hope.
Gary
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Looking good! I'll be going the fine furniture route too. I like to think of it as the New Yankee Workshop Arcadae Cabinet Project which Norm Abrams never did.
I couldn't agree more with the "costs so much to build one of those things you might as well make it the very best you can" approach. I'm thinking of using Brazilian rosewood and ebony for mine. Ouch. It's the only way my wife will let it in the house. :P
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Ok here is a small updated for you, I've added the Plexi for the marquee and the monitor also I have installed the trim around them. The trim around the marquee is hinged from the top and has magnets at the bottom of it to allow easy access the marquee and the light. Note the marquee is not the final one just a print out for now!
On the back side of things I have installed a shelf for a rack mounted pc to be mounted onto it. I had been toying with a number of ways to install the pc but didn't want the pc just thrown in the box look!
Gary
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The backside.....
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Hmm im facing a similar dilemma. How did you hinge the back door?
I was thinking to use door hinges, but im not sure whats the best way to make it sit flush.
I was also considering a removable panel.
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Adding hinges to the back door is quite easy I just used two 2 inch hinges and mounted them flush against the edge of the cabinet. Next I mounted the door onto the hinge the same way.
Once this was complete I added pine trim to the edges of my cabinet to hide the birch plywood ends.
Gary
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Ok well I've not finished it yet, but its getting close I've installed 4 110v fans in the back added the coin door and been working on the control panel.
Hopfully it will be finished in the next 3 weeks..........
Oh god I will not know what to do then....... I think building it is the best part myself!
Gary
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I like your coin door! IMO, the over/under doors are just ugly. I mean, they serve a function, but don't look as nice as the Williams style, or what you've got. Can we have some close ups of the door, as well as what it is?
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It's a Happ door
http://www.happcontrols.com/coindoors/40094600.htm
I wanted a door that had a coin door but I couldn't fit one of those big over and under doors in.
The only bad thing about it was the steel cash box was extra and so was the plastic cashbox inner which came to a total of $155.23. But then again I don't mind really as long as it looks good.
Gary
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Door open!!
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Damn that's a lot of money for a coin door. But it is nice.
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It wasn't cheep however I look at it like this, my cabs total cost including te WG9200 (going to order this next week) and the pc is going to be about $2500 so I might as well put a nice coin door on it.
I went though every coin door I could find on Happs site and this one just seemed to look the best, for me anyway.
Here is also a updated pic of the back of my cab with the pc case on its self but not installed yet. I went with a rack mount pc case because:-
1. It looks cool!
2. The back of the coin box and the Sub woofer take up the space at the bottom of the cab.
Gary
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2.
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I may be mistaken but are those domes on top for lights? DDR perhaps?
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I may be mistaken but are those domes on top for lights? DDR perhaps?
I'm not sure what you mean by domes, there are two fans at the top of my cab the darker area around them is gloss polyurethane which when the cab is finished will cover the whole thing. I just did around the fan holes so I could install the fan guards.
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Dude $2500! for a PC, what are you putting in there?
Your cab looks great by the way.
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Thats the total cost of everything, not the PC. ;)
"my cabs total cost including te WG9200 (going to order this next week) and the pc is "......
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[size=10]2500 pounds!!!!![/size]
That is the most expensive cab I ever heard of, maybe there is some kind of award for that. Mind you if I had that much money to spend on making my cab totally wicked I would.
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Ok well I've not finished it yet, but its getting close I've installed 4 110v fans in the back added the coin door and been working on the control panel.
Hopfully it will be finished in the next 3 weeks..........
Oh god I will not know what to do then....... I think building it is the best part myself!
Gary
Well, to be sincere, i like more the standard MK cab look! That cab's too sharpen but the work's great and it's very detailed!
Are you gonna put some t-molding or laminated sheets in the future or just gonna paint it! :)
If you're thinking in paint, please do a community favour and try not using "mame blue" or simply black...
Everyone has that colours... :-\
"joke" ;D
Congrats!
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Ok well I've not finished it yet, but its getting close I've installed 4 110v fans in the back added the coin door and been working on the control panel.
Hopfully it will be finished in the next 3 weeks..........
Oh god I will not know what to do then....... I think building it is the best part myself!
Gary
--snip--
Are you gonna put some t-molding or laminated sheets in the future or just gonna paint it! :)
If you're thinking in paint, please do a community favour and try not using "mame blue" or simply black...
Everyone has that colours... :-\
"joke" ;D
Congrats!
To quote the builder:
I'm not sure what you mean by domes, there are two fans at the top of my cab the darker area around them is gloss polyurethane which when the cab is finished will cover the whole thing. I just did around the fan holes so I could install the fan guards.
So there you go, "gloss polyurethane!"
Sounds pretty cool to me! 8)
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$2500 for a cab is not high when you think about it........
WG9200 $549 with shipping.
Coin Door $150.
Wood $160..........
I could go on but there is a lot of stuff to buy and it
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Im expecting mine to cost me around
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[size=10]2500 pounds!!!!![/size]
That is the most expensive cab I ever heard of, maybe there is some kind of award for that. Mind you if I had that much money to spend on making my cab totally wicked I would.
I am at about $1000, most of that going to Happ and Home Depot. And I converted an existing cab as well!
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[size=10]2500 pounds!!!!![/size]
That is the most expensive cab I ever heard of, maybe there is some kind of award for that. Mind you if I had that much money to spend on making my cab totally wicked I would.
BLIMEY!!!! sorry just had to say it ;D i dont know the conversion rate of pounds to dollars and all that, so i just wanted to say that
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At todays prices that equates to approx $4018 US!
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Mine has probably costed me about $600 so far and it's a conversion. Haven't finished it yet, either. But that's including upgrades so I have multiples of some items.
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At todays prices that equates to approx $4018 US!
Doesnt surprise me !
That G-rock dude is selling mame machines for $5000.
If people can sell POS like that for 5 grand then why not build a custom for $4018 :D.
I had that kind of money I would go for a 36" showcase cabinet with 36" svga arcade monitor(AWWW :D)
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What computer? Looks Dell or IBM.
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looks like a PIX firewall to me... you gotta a t1 line goin to your cab there... ;) nice cab by the way... i'm not a big fan of natural wood finishes for arcade uprights but your design is tight...
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Think I may have confused a few people, when I commented on the total cost (inc PC etc) I typed
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Think I may have confused a few people, when I commented on the total cost (inc PC etc) I typed
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The PC in the back is just a home made XP 2200mhz system in a rack mount case......
512mb
80gb hard drive
Arcade VGA
Hooked up to my new WG9200 it rocks!
Now my problem is trying to finish the cab since I can play games on it now!
Gary
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Just a generic rackmount case? That's why I asked, it looks Dell or IBM.
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Just a generic rackmount case? That's why I asked, it looks Dell or IBM.
Yes it is here is the link to the page from where I got it from........
http://www.circotech.com/r150.html
Gary
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Coming along very nicely Ghoward. Nice coin door too. I got the Happ over/under but if I had the extra cash I would have went for that one. Hats off to a nice clean looking cab. 8)
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I'm getting there the monitor has now been installed since this photo was taken. It was just put in place here to play test!
More updates soon......
Gary